Mansfield and District Male Voice Choir has secured famous names to share the stage with at two concerts in September.

First they will be joined by The Mastersingers (top) — a group of music teachers, composers, and arrangers who sing in a group only five times a year — for Masters in Harmony, at St John’s Church.

Then as a precursor to a prestigious event at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 2024, Mansfield and District Male Voice Choir will be performing with South Wales Male Voice Choir (below) at All Saints Church, Clipstone.

This second concert, on 23rd September, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, will be part of the Welsh choir’s ‘tour’ of the East Midlands.

The Mansfield choir said it was honoured to be joining the Welsh Association of Male Choirs Festival Concert at the Royal Albert Hall — one of very few English choirs to be invited to participate.

Geoff Mansfield, publicity officer for the Mansfield choir, said: “This is largely due to our contacts via our musical director, Ian Grice, and also because we have a distinctive capability of being able to sing in the Welsh language.”

The South Wales Male Voice Choir, comprised of four choirs and formed mainly as a touring choir in 1982, has performed at many cathedrals and prestigious venues in the UK and around the world.

It is led by musical director Rhiannon Williams, her deputy Elaine Robins, and accompanist Sian Davies.

The Welsh choir will be at Lincoln Cathedral on 22nd September and the Clipstone concert on the following day has now been added.

Mansfield and District Male Voice Choir will be performing part of its Royal Albert Hall repertoire (some in Welsh, no doubt) as a small preview of the London event at All Saints Church.

The Mastersingers, who will be sharing the stage at St John’s Church on 9th September, from 7pm to 9.30pm, were formed by famous choral arranger Alan Simmons.

They have an illustrious history, having provided the backing for the likes of Ken Dodd, Roger Whittaker, Howard Keele and Cleo Laine.

The Mastersingers’ unique sound owes much to the unusual format of the group — no other comparable group has more tenors and basses than sopranos and altos.

They include piano, drums, and double bass.

Many of the group’s pieces are composed or arranged by members of The Mastersingers themselves.

The music varies from sacred to secular and from classical to popular, a full range from Bach to The Beatles, and beyond.

Tickets for both concerts cost £10 each, go to www.mansfieldmvc.co.uk or contact Eileen Lawrence on 01623 455373 or Lynden Lowe on 01623 230023for details.